His interaction with the bouncer out of the way, Aleks had finally properly stepped foot inside of the villa. It was a mix of classical architecture, shining wood giving an elegant look to the interior, combined with low lights and a spectacular staircase in the midst of it all. There was even a grand piano on the platform in the corner of the room. Unfortunately for aesthetics, it was mixed with modern elements of occasionally flashing lights and protruding glass elements which were supposed to be art, but even a slightly trained eye was able to see it was an overly expensive piece of junk. The price tag probably made it a priority in the host's mind. After all, spending money is the best way he knew how to pander to Bratva. As far as he was able to see, there were indeed no higher up officials present. He suspected as much, but now that he was sure none of them would spend their time on such trivial matters made his heart a bit lighter. So far, no one paid him much attention and the party went on with its own flow. The low and flashing lights made it easier to blend with the crowd. Not stir too much trouble right off the bat. Besides, no man came here to socialize with other Bratva members. Socializing wasn't the goal for tonight. Getting wasted on some, quite probably, high end stuff and being close to the girls - that was what mattered. Very convenient. It took Aleks little time to spot Lilith, even in the crowd, her dress made her stand out that much more. And it was quite a dress, indeed. Aleks had to give props to her for choosing it, but decided to use the lights to his advantage so he could hide the expression on his face. She would love to see him flustered. And if it were any other predicament, he would have had a hard time acting hard to get. She was taking it too easy and was probably used to situations like these, where something terrible would unfold moments in the future - it showed. The difference between the two of them. One was more human than the other. And at this point, Aleks was unsure which one. She was far too relaxed and he was far too... cold. The thought lingered on, he knew well what was about to transpire, but it didn't get to him. That was not normal. In the end, he let a smile appear on his face as he approached Lilith, showing his approval of the dress. She probably wanted more of a reaction, but for now, she'd have to be satisfied with it. Hell, she looked overly satisfied with herself as it was. [i]"Control yourself,"[/i] he thought as he gazed into her eyes. "Lazarevska-," Aleks began, taking extra care to call her by surname this time. He had lost his opportunity to say it out loud before, but wasn't about to let that slide. As he was about to take off his coat and hand it over to the girl, Aleks noticed how Lilith had already set her eyes on her. Seducing like a fox, even Aleks wasn't able to assume she would do something like that as soon. Was it her playful side surfacing? Did she purposely wish to show off in front of Aleks? Or was it just her inner urges breaking through to the surface? Aleks had no time analyze it; at first, he thought Lilith might be out of place, but a quick scan of the surrounding parties showed that they were all already indulging in various similar activities. Exchanging pills, locking lips - no man paid much attention to other men in the room. Indeed, Lilith wouldn't stand out in a bad way after all. That's why he decided, in a split moment, to let her have fun. Indulge her. "No need to burden yourself, I'll take care of the coat myself," Besides, he wasn't keen on anyone feeling the pockets of his coat. Lilith made it a lot easier on him without even realizing it. "How cute," Aleks finished with a smile, not particularly talking to anyone, letting Lilith do her thing, before turning around and slowly walking to the other side of the room. Not a lot of people had recognized him yet, which was a relief. The girls themselves probably had little idea about who was who in Bratva - didn't matter much to them. And the men were mostly lost in whatever substance induced trance - drugs or lust. Not much of a difference, when broken down. However, the sight of so many young girls pained Aleks, often he had asked himself how does one get themselves into such a position. But then again - he himself was on someone's collar. Guess he felt for them a bit. "NO WAY-!" a chirpy voice roared in front of Aleks. The combination of music and sweet company was enough that nobody in particular turned their head towards it. With the exception of Aleks, who traced the direction from which the voice came from, until his eyes set on a young male figure. Average build, but a bit skinnier in the face - his hair and clothes were every bit eccentric and wannabe trendy as Aleks had expected out of the man. The boy. The idiot. He had black hair, combined with blue and red highlights respectively. His clothes consisted of tight leather jeans, boots, a neon green scarf and a jacket which, left unzipped, showed his torso in full glory. "Young master Titov! I am honoured you came, didn't think even in my wildest dreams someone like you would sniff close to this low budget villa! If I knew you were coming, I'd brought some of my higher class friends..." The boy, Viktor Kuzmichev, host of the party, was trailing off, talking about three different topics in the span of one minute - he was obviously high, Aleks was able to pick up on it as soon as he had approached him. "Kuzmichev Viktor at your service, hosting this party for my new brethren," finally he noted, although Aleks knew well who he was. "I am aware, Viktor, no need for formalities - it is a pleasure to have you in our ranks. I am here without the knowledge of my father and his associates, so I would appreciate it if you kept it low, how does that sound?" Aleks talked with ease, as if he had known this boy for ages. "I understand, I understand," Viktor immediately started in a hushed voice, leaning closer to Aleks. Invading his personal space by a long shot. "I know - you're here to have some fun, right? Your father doesn't need to know about that, I understand. Look, look," he spaced out again, for a couple of seconds, before pointing his finger to a group of girls by the staircase. "For my friend, only top notch!" [i]"What a joke,"[/i] Viktor's entire personality was just a caricature, as stereotypical as it could be. If Aleks wasn't aware of what Viktor loved to do behind closed doors, he'd consider him slightly amusing. But alas, he was nothing but scum. As his gaze followed Viktor's finger, it didn't settle on the girls in question. Instead, it set on the man leaning on the wall, far from any of the activities, but still close enough not to cause suspicion. But that in itself was suspicious, making Aleks believe that much more he didn't belong here. Besides, a fur jacket combined with a crew cut, military style - the man reeked of ex-military. To add to it, the man was staring at Aleks. No one was paying Aleks much heed, either because they didn't notice him or because they didn't want one of the Titov to see them attending a party like this. This man was giving him all the attention in the world, not even trying to be subtle. "Viktor," Aleks spoke out to the host, not taking his eyes off the man, "A friend of yours?" It took Viktor a couple of moments to notice whom Aleks was referring to, before laughing and patting Aleks on the shoulder. "No, no - a friend of a friend of my father's acquaintance. Something along the lines. He insisted on getting someone to keep an eye out on me," the way Viktor spoke made Aleks realize the old Kuzmichev was well aware of his son's ventures; something he was unable to confirm before. A valuable piece of information. But he was also very much certain now that the man in question was ex-military. [i]"A freaking mercenary was just what we need now,"[/i] he thought to himself as he took his eyes off the man, focusing on Viktor instead. He was still going on about the man being dependable and trustworthy. The next time Aleks looked in the man's direction, he was gone. "Viktor, can I count on you being quiet about me being here tonight? A rare is a chance when I can enjoy myself without the burden on my back," Aleks acted out a smug smile, one which brought an enormous grin on Viktor's face. All of his teeth were visible. He nodded with enthusiasm. "Splendid - is there a back room where I can store my coat?" Viktor took a few moments to process that question, as if he was not sure himself of the layout of the villa. Considering he had a girl that was supposed to take care of that, it was not a surprise. However, he still came up with direction, for which Aleks had thanked him. "That out of the way, you don't think I came here empty handed? I brought a very special gift for you. I'd give her a bit time to relax, since she is new in town - but you will find her to be quite... enthralling." Aleks could see that he not only piqued Viktor's interest, but libido as well, "Look for chrysanthemums." The sentence was finished with a wink and, extending a hand to Viktor, he returned to his serious demeanour. "Welcome to Bratva, brother." With that - Aleks was gone, heading towards the back room. This turn of events may prove to be slightly more complicated, so he had to take some precautions. Hopefully Lilith wouldn't stir too much trouble while she was out of his sight.